Dickie



E. H. ACTON, F. E. DICKIE AND T. PRATT.

CASTING MACHINE. I

APPLICATION FILED 050.5.1'911.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1- ATTORNEYS E. H. ACTON. F. E. DICKTE AND T. PRATT.

CCCCCCCCCCCCC E.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5. 1917 1,316,471. PatentedSept. 16,1919.

v 3 EEEEEEEEEEEE 2.

g In E l! JTI LWI i? V i I:

" Brag? Arm/Mfrs.

E. H. ACTON, F. E. DICKIE AND T. PRATT. CASTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.5. 1917.

1,316,471. PatentedSept.16,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

l/WE/VTORS Ii TTORIVEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l i EDWARD HARKER ACTON, FRANK EVANS DIGKIE, AND THOMAS PRATT, OF SHAWINI- G-AN FALLS, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNORS T ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA, 01 PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 013' NEW JERSEY.

CASTING-MACHINE.

Application flled.Deoember 5, 1917. Serial No. 205,519.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD HARKER AcToN, a citizen of the United States, FRANK EVANS DICKIE and THOMAS PRA'I'I, subjects of the King of Great Britain, all residing at Shawinigan Falls, Province of Quebec, D0- minion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casting- Machines, of which the following is a full,-

clear, and exact description.

.This invention relates to the casting of metal pigs, ingots, bars, etc., and its chief object is to provide a Simple and efiective casting machine of the type in which a series of molds is carried past a source of molten metal, the movement of the series of molds being preferably continuous. Another object is to provide simple and reliable means for ejecting the castings from the molds when the metal has solidified therein. A further object is to provide a suitable and convenient mold for the purpose. To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter described.

One embodiment of the invention, designed particularly for casting aluminum ingots, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the machine, somewhat diagrammatic in character.

Fig. 2 is adiagrammatic plan view partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of one ofthe ingot molds.

Fig. 4 is a detail front view of one of the molds, partly in horizontal section, showing the device 'by which the ingot is lifted to free it from the walls of the mold.

Fig. 5 is a detail side view illustrating the operation of the cam which actuates the ingot-lifting device.

The molten metal is contained in a suitable receptacle 10, having an outlet 11 equipped with a spout 12 which extends outwardly over the series of molds and is bent laterally so as to discharge the metal in a direction against the travel of the inclined series of molds, that is, so that the molds will meet the metal as they advance toward the spout. The rate of flow is controlled manually by a long-handled needle valve 13, manipulated by the attendant or operator.

The molds, indicated at 14, extend trans-i versely of their direction of travel and are of narrow elongated form, equipped at their ends with lugs or ears 15 for rigid securement to the links of the two chains 16 runnlng over the pairs of sprockets 17, 18. The sprockets 18 are higher than the other two, thus giving the molds an inclined path, and the molds are set close together on the chain, so that the curved lip 19 on the front edge of each mold (which lip is slightly lower than the rear edge) will overhang the rear of the next succeeding mold. Then as the lip of an upwardly moving mold passes the stream of molten metal from the spout 12 any metal which does not run into the pass-.-

ing mold will be shedinto the next approachmg mold. Thus with care on the part of the attendant to see that the flow from the outlet 11 is not too fast, splashing or spilling of the metal out of the molds is eliminated. The aforesaid ears or lugs 15 are inclined, as will be seen in Fig. 5, so that although the chains to which the lugs are attached are inclined the molds will be kept horizontal as they travel from the lower sprockets to the upper. To facilitate subsequent breaking up of the ingots into pieces of convenient size the bottoms of the molds are provided with tapering transverse divisions or ribs 20, extending about halfway to the top. Breaking notches are thus formed in the bottom of the ingots or bars.

To prevent sagging of the upper reach of the conveyerchains and maintain the path of the advancing molds straight, the chains move between upper and lower parallel guides 21, '22, Fig. 2, supported in any convenient manner, not shown. The chains are driven by the upper sprockets, 18, which are themselves driven by a motor 23, Fig. 1, through the medium of suitable speed-reducing gearing indicated at 24.

The time of travel of the molds from the filling spout 12 is long enough to insure solidification of the metal (preferably with out artificial cooling) by the time the molds reach the upper sprockets. In passing the latter the molds are turned upside down, thus permitting the castings to fall out by gravity. To prevent the ingots from sticking in the molds I provide means for positively loosening or freeing the ingots from the mold-walls. For this purpose the bottom of each mold is equipped with one or more vertically movable lifters 25, Fig. l, so that at a certain point in the path of the molds the lifters can be raised, thereby raising the castings out of contact with the downwardly and inwardly inclined mold-walls. The tops of the lifters are downwardly tapered, and the openings in which the Lifters work are countersunk to fit the heads closely, thus preventing leakage of molten metal at such points. The lifterheads are normally held firmly on their seats by means of springs, as shown at 26, Fig. 4, carried by the molds and connected to the outer or lower ends of the lifters. In the present instance the springs are of the fiat or blade type, fixed to the underside ofthe molds by means of screws 27, while the ends of the springs bear downwardly on cap-nuts 28 screwed on the lifters. For the purpose of raising the lifters to release the castings as described, we provide on the shaft 28 of the upper sprockets and between the latter, a pair of stepped cams 29, adapted, as they revolve, to bring their successive steps or lifting faces 30 into coiiperation with the lifters. The operation is illustrated in Fig. 5, in which it will be seen that as molds approach the lifting faces or steps of the cams (the steps or faces being the same dis tance apart as the molds) the lifters are met by the cam-steps and are raised thereby, thus lifting the castings in the molds. The latter then pass on, with the lifters still held up by the cams, and finally the ingots drop out and are carried away by workmen or by a suitable conveyer, indicated at 31. As the molds pass out of engagement with the cams the springs 26 retract the lifters to nor mal position, with their heads firmly seated in the bottom of the mold.

The stepped cams 29 mounted on the shaft 28 of the upper sprockets which support and drive the endless series of molds as indicated in Fig. 5, move at the same surface speed as the molds which pass them. The molds of this endless connected series are equidistant from one another, and the cam steps are the same distance apart from one another as the lifters on successive molds. Under this arrangement, with the cam mounted on the shaft 28, so that the camsteps will occupy the position relatively to the molds and lifters thereon indicated in Fig. 5, it will be seen that the contact faces of the cam-steps meet and, during the period amen-n of meeting, move in unison with their ap propriate lifters 25 on the molds, without any friction or drag between them, the only pressure exerted 'by the several cam-steps upon their respective lifters being in a directly upward direction against the stress of the opposing spring.

The molds are made of a material having a smaller ooefiicient of expansion than the metal to be cast, for instance cast iron for aluminum ingots, so that as the metal of the ingot shrinks in passing from the fluid to the solid state it will tend to draw away from the mold walls. This effect is facilitated by giving the mold walls a marked inclination from the vertical, thus making the mold more or less V-shaped in cross section and giving the casting considerable draft. In addition the inside surface of the mold is treated with graphite (or other suitable material) as for example by casting the mold around a graphite core, or by applying graphite, dry or in the form of a paint or paste, to the inner surface; the object being to impart a smooth finish and eliminate possibility of any welding efiect, or any chemical combination between the metal composing the mold and the metal cast therein. As a result it is much easier to eject the casting. Other inert materials may be used instead of graphite, as for example, sulfur, clay, lime, alumina, etc.

The mold described is especially useful in casting by machine, but may be used in place of former molds and may be filled by hand.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the construction herein specifically illustrated and described, but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a casting machine, in combination, a receptacle for molten metal having an outlet, a connected series of, molds moving past said outlet. to receive molten metal there from, means carried by each mold for lifting the ingot therein to free the same from the mold walls, and rotating means having the same surface speed of travel as the molds and arranged and adapted to thus actuate the lifters on the successive passing molds.

2. In a casting machine, in combination, a moving series of molds'to receive molten metal; lifters carried by the molds to free the ingot from the mold walls, and a rotatlng cam having the same surface speed of travel as the molds, and provided with cam steps which engage and operate the lifters on the successively passing molds substantially as and for the purposes stated.

3. In a casting machine, in combination. a. traveling series of molds to receive molten metal; lifters carried by the molds to free the ingot from the mold walls, the distance between the lifters on successive molds being the same throughout the series; a rotating cam having the same surface speed of travel as the molds; and cam-steps on said cam which engage and operate the lifters on the successively passing molds, said steps being separated from one another by a distance substantially the same as that which intervenes between the lifters on adjoining molds.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix 10 our signatures.

EDWARD HARKER ACTON. FRANK EVANS DICKIE. v THOMAS PRA 

